Governance Issues facing Private Education Institutions

Governance Issues facing Private Education Institutions

Private educational institutions in India are playing an important role in delivering solutions in the public education system, but at the same time limiting accessibility. Most of the private institutions are charging hefty fees. Thus, rendering most of the state’s population ineligible to attend them. The government has been contemplating on providing equitable access to quality education and this paper aims to analyze various issues like competition, subsidies, and others, facing private schools.

Rationale behind privatization of Schools

It is believed that if a school is privatized, it would be able to develop greater academic freedom and thus impart quality education. The government would no longer interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the school and also the teachers and staff would enjoy more freedom to carry out their activities without pressure from any quarter. As a result, the development of the child would be of paramount importance.

Many private schools in India are known for their high standards and luxurious facilities. One of the main reasons why parents send their children to private schools is the promise of a better education. Private schools like DPS (Delhi Public School), The Heritage School, etc, always advertise good infrastructure, qualified teachers, and excellent academic results as some of the factors that make it much superior to government schools.

The government-operated education system is overwhelmed by its current responsibilities. Therefore, it has become essential for private schools to step in and take the burden off the overworked system. If properly managed, private schools can go a long way in providing quality education to millions of children.

Concerns with Privatisation of Schools

Privatization in the field of education over the past few years has led to concerns about quality and equity. The two major issues are quality of service as a result of cut-price practices by private schools and segregation brought about by these schools catering only to those who can afford to pay the fees. Some of major concerns with Privatisation of Schools in India are:-

Rising Inequalities: As the culture of private education is growing, India is witnessing a major divide between the haves and have nots. Private schools are exorbitant and are completely beyond the affordable means of most of us. Studies indicate that there have been major inequalities of income, gender, and caste in these institutions.

Profit Motive: Private players are increasingly venturing into the education sector, enlarging their market share. The nitty-gritty of profit motive is that many private institutions are established by businessmen who also need to protect their business interests. This leads to the molding of the institution’s policy in line with the governments’ interest or the popular sentiment in society.

Overnight Closures: Overnight closures are not uncommon in the private education sector. When a private school faces a financial crisis, it tries to tide over this crisis by closing down several institutions (such as schools) so that it can open new ones later.

Security of Tenure: Security of Tenure is a vital factor that makes a teacher feel secured with his job. It ensures that he does not have to worry about getting fired without any reason as the government would make sure that he is treated fairly. In private schools, teachers do not have any security of tenure and they are at the mercy of management.

Flawed Results: Privatization of schools has been adopted as a means to improve the rate of result-oriented education in India. The government believes that a close monitoring of the education process will be carried out if schools are privatized. The concept of privatization is flawed for the simple reason that it overlooks the fact that an education system can only be improved by educating students, not teachers and principals. This would ensure quality education for all, and not just for the few.